A Deadly Stretch Through A Sleepy Town

THE ROAD TOAD HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN

Road Toad Advice: Arrive Alive And Take Turnpike

The Road Toad's travels this week took her to Narcoossee where she investigated her own amphibious instinct that State Road 15, aka Narcoossee Road, is a one-way path to toad heaven.

She was right.

Too right.

Put it this way: The stories the Toad heard about that deceptively scenic, two-lane highway between Osceola County and Orlando made her blood run even colder than it does normally.

''This is one of the deadliest roads in the area,'' said the first person she met. A helpful Narcoossee old-timer, he pointed to the section of State Road 15 that runs through downtown and began reciting statistics.

''About seven people have hit that one tree in front of Rosie and Charlie Lesure's house. And there was a head-on up the road last week. And see that grease spot over there in the middle of the road? That was a motorcyclist that missed the curve.''

The tree in question, some form of pine, had a large white cross spray-painted on it. Rosie Lesure, in whose yard the tree stands, speculated that the cross was left by the family of the last man who was killed after running into it.

''His family's been out here,'' she said. ''There are some flowers over there. It happened about a year ago. He was driving a 1976 Monte Carlo and he hit that tree so hard, his battery flew into my yard.''

''We've had about 10 people killed on that tree in the last four years,'' said volunteer firefighter Rufus Skipper.